Football | Super Eagles
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Nigeria's work out against Jordan was an opportunity for Coach Stephen Keshi to see how far his wards have come since their 4-3 aggregate win over the Ivory Coast to qualify for our maiden bow at the Chan tournament.
The 1-0 loss, albeit from a fortuitous penalty, also exposed a lot of flaws in the Chan team and certainly the coaches would have seen some these and made notes in retrospect.
In a generally lethargic display by the Super Eagles, there were some bright spots in an otherwise dour game in which the Eagles didn't really sour as expected.
Supersport.com runs the rule on lessons learnt from the defeat in Amman and also looks at some of the positives that could be picked.
Sunday Mba's still got game:
The Eagles started the game with a 4-5-1 formation which translated to coach Keshi being a little bit cautious in his approach. Big striker Christian Obiozor was the lone man upfront, while Warri Wolves youngster Oghenekaro Etebo played just behind him.
In all of that, Sunday Mba, who is arguably the star man in the Chan eagles really stood up and was counted in a midfield that also had Kano Pillars silky midfielder Rabiu Ali.
Mba was the leader of the pack and showed flashes of brilliance and maturity as he held the midfield down and tried to bring others into play.
Most of the positive moves by the Eagles came from him and his all round display showed he hasn't lost much despite his inactivity at club level.
One thing that is imperative now is, the talented former Mighty Jets player must sort out his club issues and get playing again, so that his best form can return and catapult him into fulfilling all the promise he showed at the 2013 African Cup of Nations.
Eagles that earned their stripes.
The game was generally a poor one from a Nigerian perspective, but there a few bright spots, especially players that can do business for Nigeria in a very few years.
Enugu Rangers striker Christian Obiozor, making his full international debut for Nigeria, caught the eye with his hold up play and general work ethic.
He also showed flashes of brilliance and is definitely a good addition to the squad that has the likes of Gambo Mohammed, Oghenekaro Etebo and Ifeanyi Ede.
Still raw in some departments, occasioned by some wayward shooting,the tall striker has shown enough to warrant a chance as the Eagles continue to prepare for the Chan tournament. He could turn out to be another diamond in the rough.
Warri Wolves youngster Oghenekaro Etebo is another Eagles who definitely has staked a claim for a starting shirt in the team.
He started the game from the right side of midfield and was a constant threat going forward. The defensive side of his game has improved tremendously.
His tactical awareness has also improved a lot as he was able to read runs and cover up for Solomon Kwambe anytime the Sunshine Stars defender ventured forward.
The young rookie, who just completed his debut season in the Nigerian top flight scored two hat tricks this past season, and definitely has a bright future ahead of him.
Ejike Uzoenyi 2.0
This player held a lot of promise as he was among the first set of home based players that Keshi brought on board when he took over from Samson Siasisa. The petite former Gateway FC winger was tipped for greatness after some sterling displays for Rangers in the league.
He enhanced his blossoming reputation with a man of the match performance in a Africa Nations Cup qualifier away at Blantrye, against the Flames of Malawi that sent tongues wagging, unfortunately he hasn't gone past those heights since then.
Uzoenyi bagged a six month loan deal at Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, after being part of the Super Eagles 2013 African Cup of Nations triumph but has gone downhill since then and this showed in the game against Jordan.
After being released in the summer, he has struggled to get another club and has being training on his own. His indecision and poor play put pressure on the Eagles midfield in the game and he also picked up a yellow card to cap a disappointing game.
He, just like Sunday Mba need to sort out their club futures so that they can get back to the imperious form and do the business for Nigeria in South Africa next year.
Eagles dis-united:
This writer had the opportunity to speak to the coach Stephen Keshi before the game against Malawi in Calabar, and when asked how his Chan team was shaping up, the coach emphatically answered: "I don't have a team, I'm starting from the bottom again."
This can't be further from the truth as the Eagles didn't play like a team and didn't bother the Jordanians as many would have expected.
Godfrey Oboabona's departure to Turkey meant a void in the centre of defence and the coach elected to play a full back Ebenezer Odunlami alongside Azubuike Egwuekwe in the heart of the defence.
It was obvious there was a lot of experimentation going on in the team. Ugonna Uzochukwu, Christian Obiozor were also new additions who started and I thought Rabiu Ali was stifling Sunday Mba in the midfield as both were trying to be the playmaker.
Obviously the team was poor on the night, and a lot of factors can be attributed to this. Key which is fatigue and inadequate time to blend in the new players.
There is a lot of work to be done with this team in harnessing the potentials and putting out a decent team that will do Nigeria proud in South Africa, which has become a favourite hunting ground for our national teams next year.
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